AB958: Bill Text

This bill requires, rather than authorizes, the secretary and the administrator to keep these records closed to the public.

For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

Law revision committee prefatory note: This bill is a remedial legislation proposal, requested by the department of employment relations and introduced by the law revision committee under s. 13.83 (1) (c) 4., stats. After careful consideration of the various provisions of the bill, the law revision committee has determined that this bill makes minor substantive changes in the statutes, and that these changes are desirable as a matter of public policy.

AB958, s. 1 Section 1. 20.923 (6) (n) of the statutes is repealed.

Note: Under current law, the salary of the superintendent of the Wisconsin veterans museum is established by the secretary of veterans affairs. However, there is no such position. Therefore, this section is repealed.

AB958, s. 2 Section 2. 230.05 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB958,5,2 230.05 (2) (a) Except as provided under par. (b), the administrator may delegate, in writing, any of his or her functions set forth in this subchapter to an appointing authority, within prescribed standards if the administrator finds that the agency has personnel management capabilities to perform such functions effectively and has indicated its approval and willingness to accept such responsibility by written agreement. If the administrator determines that any agency is not performing such delegated function within prescribed standards, the administrator shall withdraw such delegated function. The administrator may order transfer to the division from the agency to which delegation was made such agency staff and other resources as necessary to perform such functions if increased staff was authorized to that agency as a consequence of such delegation or if the division reduced staff or shifted staff to new responsibilities as a result of such delegation subject to the approval of the joint committee on finance. Any delegatory action taken under this subsection by any appointing authority may be appealed to the personnel commission under s. 230.44 (1) (b) (a). The administrator shall be a party in such appeal.

Note: Currently, the administrator of the division of merit recruitment and selection in the department of employment relations is authorized to delegate any of his or her functions relating to filling positions in the classified service to the appointing authority of any state agency. Also, any action taken by an appointing authority under this delegation is appealable to the personnel commission. This section corrects a cross-reference to refer to appeals to the personnel commission under its authority to hear appeals of decisions or delegated decisions of the administrator of the division of merit, recruitment and selection.

AB958, s. 3 Section 3. 230.12 (1) (c) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB958,5,11 230.12 (1) (c) 2. The secretary may establish a plan of extra compensation for work performed during selected hours at an hourly rate or rates subject to approval of the joint committee on employment relations. The secretary may establish a plan of extra compensation for assistant district attorneys, which may include extra compensation for work performed during selected hours or for special duty such as on-call duty, at hourly rates subject to the approval of the joint committee on employment relations. Eligibility for such extra compensation shall be as provided in the compensation plan.

Note: This provision is amended to eliminate the authority of the secretary of employment relations to establish a plan of extra compensation for assistant district attorneys. The effect of this change is that the assistant district attorneys whose compensation is established in the compensation plan will be governed by the general extra compensation provisions of that plan.

AB958, s. 4 Section 4. 230.13 (1) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB958,5,15 230.13 (1) (intro.) Except as provided in s. 103.13, the secretary and the administrator may shall keep records of the following personnel matters closed to the public:

Note: Currently, under s. 230.13 (1), stats., the secretary of employment relations and the administrator of the division of merit recruitment and selection may keep certain personnel records closed to the public. These records relate to examination scores and ranks and other evaluations of applicants, dismissals, demotions and other disciplinary actions, pay survey data obtained from private employers and the names of those private employers. This provision requires, rather than permits, the secretary and the administrator to keep these personnel records closed to the public.

AB958, s. 5 Section 5. 230.16 (8) of the statutes is repealed.

Note: Currently, the administrator of the division of merit recruitment and selection in the department of employment relations is authorized to designate a person in or out of state government or any person employed by a municipal or county government to act as a local examiner for filling positions in state government. The provision is not used. Therefore, it is repealed.

AB958, s. 6 Section 6. 230.20 (3) of the statutes is repealed.

Note: Currently, applicants for a promotion to a position in the classified service in Wisconsin may not solicit "recommendations". This bill eliminates the prohibition.

AB958, s. 7 Section 7. 230.33 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB958,6,16 230.33 (1) A person appointed to an unclassified position by the governor, elected officer, judicial body or by a legislative body or committee , or by any other appointing authority when both the classified and unclassified positions are within his or her department, shall be granted a leave of absence without pay for the duration of the appointment and for 3 months thereafter, during which time the person has restoration rights to the former position or equivalent position in the department in which last employed in a classified position without loss of seniority. The person shall also have reinstatement privileges for 3 years following appointment to the unclassified service or for one year after termination of the unclassified appointment whichever is longer. Restoration rights and reinstatement privileges shall be forfeited if the reason for termination of the unclassified appointment would also be reason for discharge from the former position in the classified service.

Note: This provision is amended to limit its applicability to persons appointed to an unclassified position by the governor, elected official judicial body or by a legislative body or committee.

AB958, s. 8 Section 8. 230.33 (1m) of the statutes is created to read:

AB958,7,10 230.33 (1m) A person appointed to an unclassified position by an appointing authority other than an appointing authority described under sub. (1), when both the classified and unclassified positions are within the appointing authority's department, shall be granted a leave of absence without pay for the duration of the appointment and for 3 months thereafter, during which time the person has restoration rights to the former position or equivalent position in the department in which last employed in a classified position without loss of seniority. The person shall also have reinstatement privileges for 3 years following appointment to the unclassified service or for one year after termination of the unclassified appointment whichever is longer. Restoration rights and reinstatement privileges shall be forfeited if the reason for termination of the unclassified appointment would also be reason for discharge from the former position in the classified service.

Note: This provision provides that a person who is appointed in an unclassified position by an appointing authority other than those listed in s. 230.33 (1), stats., when both the classified and unclassified positions are within the appointing authority's department, shall be granted a leave of absence without pay for the duration of the appointment and for 3 months thereafter. The person will have restoration and reinstatement rights that are the same as a person appointed to an unclassified position by those authorities listed in s. 230.33 (1), stats.

AB958, s. 9 Section 9. 230.33 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB958,7,20 230.33 (2) A person appointed to an unclassified position by an appointing authority other than an elected officer, judicial body, legislative body or committee appointing authority described under sub. (1), to a department other than the one in which the person was a classified employe may be granted a leave of absence without pay at the option of the person's former appointing authority in accordance with the leave of absence provisions in the rules of the secretary. An employe granted a leave of absence shall have the same restoration rights and reinstatement privileges as under sub. (1) (1m). If not granted a leave of absence, the employe shall be entitled only to the reinstatement privileges under sub. (1) (1m).

AB958, s. 10 Section 10 . 230.34 (1) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB958,8,4 230.34 (1) (a) An employe with permanent status in class or an employe who has served with the state or a county, or both, as an assistant district attorney for a continuous period of 12 months or more may be removed, suspended without pay, discharged, reduced in base pay or demoted only for just cause.

Note: This provision removes references to employes who have served with the state or county or both, as an assistant district attorney for a continuous period of 12 months. All assistant district attorneys are state, rather than county, employes, effective January 1, 1990.

AB958, s. 11 Section 11. 230.34 (1) (ar) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB958,8,15 230.34 (1) (ar) Paragraphs (a) and (am) apply to all employes with permanent status in class in the classified service and all employes who have served with the state or a county, or both, as an assistant district attorney for a continuous period of 12 months or more, except that for employes specified in s. 111.81 (7) (a) in a collective bargaining unit for which a representative is recognized or certified, or for employes specified in s. 111.81 (7) (b) or (c) in a collective bargaining unit for which a representative is certified, if a collective bargaining agreement is in effect covering employes in the collective bargaining unit, the determination of just cause and all aspects of the appeal procedure shall be governed by the provisions of the collective bargaining agreement.

Note: This section deletes the reference to counties in this provision to be consistent with the change made by Section 10.

AB958, s. 12 Section 12. 230.40 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB958,8,20 230.40 (2) If a person in the classified service declares an intention to run for partisan political office the person shall be given placed on a leave of absence for the duration of the election campaign and if elected shall separate from the classified service on assuming the duties and responsibilities of such office.

Note: This provision removes a perceived ambiguity in whether a leave of absence is discretionary if a person in the classified service declares an intention to run for partisan political office. It provides that a person shall be placed on a leave of absence rather than "given" a leave of absence. This clarifies that the provision is not discretionary. The person must be placed on a leave of absence regardless of the wishes of the person or agency.

AB958, s. 13 Section 13. 230.44 (1) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB958,9,7 230.44 (1) (c) Demotion, layoff, suspension or discharge. If an employe has permanent status in class, or an employe has served with the state or a county, or both, as an assistant district attorney for a continuous period of 12 months or more, the employe may appeal a demotion, layoff, suspension, discharge or reduction in base pay to the commission, if the appeal alleges that the decision was not based on just cause.

Note: This section deletes the reference to counties to be consistent with the change made by Section 10 .

AB958,9,8 (End)